Let Go Of The Negative

Guest post by Yvonne Kinghorm

Through my experience with cancer, chemotherapy and the seemingly endless tests and medications, I have come to realize that while the procedures themselves may be beneficial and necessary, they seem to lack a certain degree of humanity. They feel harsh and cold. I am not talking about the doctors, nurses or technicians that administer the tests or medications. I am talking about the procedures themselves.

They tend to leave us feeling sick, violated and miserable. These feelings make it easy for us to feel vulnerable and victimized. It is up to us to change that, it may not be easy to do but we must if we are to lose the victim mentality.

Fortunately, great strides are being made as far as bringing this awareness to the forefront in the medical field. Dr. Bernie Siegel is one of the pioneers in this movement. He says that “Science and medicine certainly have confirmed through recent research the personality profile and psychology associated with survival behavior and how they affect the body’s chemistry and healing ability.” This means that it is up to us, the patients, to tune our mind and body into healing. It is the single most important thing to realize and understand as you begin your journey.

One of the only books that I read while I was battling cancer was “Love, Medicine & Miracles” by Bernie S. Siegel, M.D. So many of the books out there about cancer are too full of statistics and other depressing information, so it was easier for me to stay positive if I avoided all of that. But this book is different. I read it and loved it. One statement from the book has stuck with me and I have thought about it a lot. The statement is this:

"If I were rewriting “Love, Medicine & Miracles”, I might consider changing  its title to “The Side Effects of Cancer”.  Healing is hard work, as is any change one must make  in one’s own life.  I and others have learned, however, that the side effects of cancer may not all are good side effects too.  An awareness of one’s mortality can lead you to wake up and live an authentic, meaningful life."

When I read this, I realized how much I take for granted in my life.

When you are facing the reality that your time on earth could be coming to an abrupt halt, your priorities tend to change quickly. I remember thinking that I wish the problems I thought were so difficult and worrisome the day before my diagnosis were all that I had to worry about now. When you are staring something like cancer in the face, the trivial details fall by the way side. Happiness, joy, peace, these are what is important.

I have learned the importance of counting blessings.

Being grateful for what you have is a major step forward in changing your attitude. We never know when our time will come to an end, and I have come to realize the importance of living an authentic, meaningful life. I don’t want any regrets. I want those I love to know how I feel, I don’t want to carry grudges or hard feelings toward anyone because I realize that those things won’t matter in the end. Life is wonderful when you find the strength to let go of the negative and embrace the good!

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Yvonne Kinghorn is a Lymphoma Cancer Survivor, Author of A Message Of Hope and Creator of Living-With-Cancer.com, an inspiration website sharing tools and ideas for coping with cancer from a cancer survivor.

Feel Healthier and Stay Strong

Guest Post by Anna Zufall, MMSc, RD, CD, CSO

Living with cancer is one of the most daunting experiences you can face. Unfortunately, your cancer and its treatment may result in a number of nutrition impact symptoms (appetite loss, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,  constipation, alterations in taste and smell, swallowing difficulty, etc.). These symptoms may also lead to secondary problems, with all having the potential to affect your quality of life.

As an Oncology Dietitian, I have witnessed firsthand how a cancer diagnosis can quickly rob a life of normalcy. And with quality of life issues crossing each facet of the cancer continuum, the impact can be severe.

Proactive nutritional care, including focusing on good nutritional management and careful food selection, especially in the first days after diagnosis, may help in maintaining a high quality of life throughout your cancer journey. Eating the right kinds of foods can help you feel healthier and stay strong. Many patients have expressed to me improvements in their quality of life with even modest diet modifications. And though nutritional needs may vary as you go through the cancer experience, it is important to focus on consuming adequate nutrition to maintain a desirable weight and activity level.

For most people, a healthy diet includes lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals,
modest amounts of meat and milk products and small amounts of fat, sugar, and salt. However, when you have cancer, dietary needs can be somewhat different. You may need extra calories and protein to help keep up your strength and energy.

Consider adding more calories and protein to your daily diet by increasing your intake of foods such as milk, yogurt, natural cheeses, eggs, nuts, seeds, peanut butter, poultry, fish, beans and legumes. Liquid nutritional supplements can also provide more calories and protein in the diet. Also, include nutritious snacks daily—keep a variety of protein-rich snacks on hand that are easy to prepare and eat, such as cheese and crackers, cereal and milk, a hearty bowl of soup, or half of a sandwich. Avoid foods that may make any treatment-related side effects worse.

By empowering yourself with nutrition—making small, achievable positive changes—you are helping yourself to retain your health and your quality of life.

So remember, good nutrition is always important and is vital during your cancer journey. It can help you maintain weight and offer relief from nutrition impact symptoms for improved quality of life.

Your body is fighting disease, and food is an essential weapon in the fight. Take a proactive approach to your health—give yourself the gift of good nutrition. Eat well and often throughout your cancer journey!

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Anna Zufall, MMSc, RD, CD, CSO

Anna a Registered Dietitian and is Board Certified as a Specialist in Oncology (CSO) Nutrition. Drawing upon her 15 years of  experience, she provides clinical support for TherapEase Cuisine. Anna is one of less than 600 Oncology Certified Dietitians across the
nation helping patients with cancer.
Learn more at www.therapeasecuisine.com.
Online Nutritional Support for Cancer Patients and Survivors

Increase Your Quality of Life One Bite at a Time

GUEST POST by Vivian Roe of TherapEaseCuisine.com

Something that nearly every cancer patient will experience at some point after getting diagnosed is a feeling of being absolutely out of control.

With those three words “You Have Cancer” ~ the future becomes even more unknown. Doctors for a while will become the ruling authority over your day to day schedule. Treatment appointments, medications, side  effects: suddenly overshadow all of the normal things your life was made up of. And you may feel like the quality of your life will be on a steady decline with little or nothing you can do about it.

But there is A LOT you can do about it. And it starts with the simple, daily acts of eating and drinking.

When I was diagnosed 6 years ago, the very first fears I experienced…more than fears of losing a breast or possibly not surviving…were that the treatment would make me so sick that I wouldn’t be able to function. I feared I wouldn’t be able to eat or drink; that I’d constantly be throwing up. I’d be weak, unable to care for my two young sons, and even worse – that being so sick would jeopardize the 9- week old baby growing inside of me. I feared that food would become my enemy.

If I had continued down that mental and emotional path I probably would not have been motivated to make some significant changes to my eating habits. But all it took was hearing the baby’s heartbeat and looking at my boys to realize I couldn’t afford to allow food to become my enemy. CANCER was the enemy…I needed to make food a weapon.

So I asked “What should I be eating?” of my doctors, nurses, and others in my healthcare team. I scoured health stores, bookstores, magazines and the Internet to find any and all information on the medicinal effects of certain foods for specific ailments.

Some of the information was long-known; like eat more fiber if you are constipated and saltine crackers if you feel nauseous. Some of the information was a revelation; like Brazil nuts contain selenium which helps fight cancer, and lemon juice and lemon zest contain limonene which helps boost the immune system.

Vivian co-created
TherapEaseCuisine.com
to assist other survivors

These rules and dozens of others came together to give me a clear “game-plan” for what I would eat and drink every meal of every day. From the time I woke up to when I went to bed I had confidence that the fuel for my body – what I ate and drank – would help prevent or alleviate treatment side effects. At the same time, I’d be consuming a higher level of vitamin/nutrient-rich foods than ever…and that had to be a good thing.

When I embraced using food to complement my treatment, not only did I empower my physical body – but I empowered my whole self. I took back control. I went on the offense to cancer ~ and my quality of life during treatment was better than anyone ever imagined. My pregnancy was not affected at all by treatment; and I had a perfectly healthy little girl full-term. My husband, sons, friends, and extended family were amazed at my energy level, optimism and condition of overall health (that is condition other than the bald-head and cancer-thing).

When you think about the average American’s diet (full of fried, cheesy, greasy high-cal/low-nutrient foods) the truth is that even modest changes, like adding green vegetables and fruit to every meal, are a big improvement.

I always considered myself to have better-than-average diet habits; but it wasn’t until I started really paying attention to everything that I consumed that I realized how very big the impact of eating the right stuff is.

Changing your diet to best fit with a cancer diagnosis and treatment may seem like a big hassle and a lot of work at a time that you’re already overwhelmed….but you don’t have to bite off more than you can chew.

Just take it one bite at a time ~ and your quality of life just may surprise you too.

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Vivian Roe is a cancer survivor and Founder and COO at TherapEase Cuisine. Her personal cancer journey brought about the creation of a one-of-a-kind, patent-pending online solution to nutritional concerns of cancer patients and those with chronic conditions. With online assessment and customized food and nutritional recommendations, TherapEase Cuisine makes individualized nutritional support easy and accessible to its users; and provides a method for healthcare providers and health plan administrators to offer a comprehensive nutrition program to those they serve.  Learn more at TherapEaseCuisine.com